US6983423B2 - Electronic system for collecting and communicating clinical order information in an acute care setting - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for providing users with decision support tools and features triggered by opening an order entry activity for a patient or by selection of orders within a graphical user interface. The system may be adapted to operate in conjunction with an integrated medical record system.

Description

The present invention claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 (e) to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/257,971, filed Dec. 22, 2000 and relates generally to health record management, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for collecting and communicating clinical order information in an acute care setting.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The ability for users to place a wide variety of orders quickly and accurately is vital to the success of an electronic medical records system designed for the acute care setting. If placing electronic orders is too time consuming or involves too much repetitious entry of order parameters, the electronic health care system loses usability and accuracy, which can lower the efficiency of a healthcare enterprise and even compromise the quality of patient care.

Physicians, nurses, clerks, and ancillary staff working in acute care settings must often place a large number of complex orders at once. The care of each patient is likely to require many orders of a number of different types, including medications, blood tests, and nurse interventions. In addition, acute care workflows lead many clinicians to enter orders for multiple patients at the same time after conducting patient rounds, which further increases the need for efficient order entry.

Orders in an acute care setting frequently require the specification of complex order parameters, such as frequency, interval, count, dose, and route, that are a challenge to communicate effectively in any ordering system, even a traditional paper ordering system. A nurse intervention order may tell the nurse to check a patient's vital signs every hour for 24 hours, then to take vitals four times per day for the next two days. Or it may ask that blood levels be tested every two hours until normal levels are reached and then every four hours up to a count of eight times. Electronic ordering systems for both ambulatory and acute care settings have usually relied on the selection of an order from a database, followed by text entry of order parameters on a number of windows for each order before it is filed. In the acute care setting, such entry methods are likely to inhibit regular use of the ordering system or even any use at all, because staff find it too cumbersome to enter order parameters by hand on more than one window for every order.

While these order parameters may be very complex, the likely parameter values for a given order generally belong to a predictable set. In few cases does care require the entry of an order “from scratch” with parameters that cannot be anticipated. A physician is likely to place many orders for patient vitals with similar frequencies at similar intervals. Therefore, text entry of electronic orders not only creates a repetitious workflow that needlessly adds time to the task of order entry, but it fails to take advantage of the ease with which many parameters can be selected from a set of pre-defined common values for the order. In addition, text entry of order parameters increases the likelihood of written error or miscommunication of what are in fact routinely selected values.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a graphical representation of a user interface in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrating interaction of the user interface with an electronic medical records (EMR) system.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart representation of an order entry workflow in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart representation of an order editing workflow in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart representation of another order editing workflow in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart representation of another order editing workflow in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart representation of another order editing workflow in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart representation of another order editing workflow in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention an interactive, graphical user interface presents user-specific lists of orders grouped into types. When the user clicks an order sentence corresponding to that order appears. The user then clicks on the sentence to open an expanded order editing box accompanied by a set of buttons and selection lists encompassing the parameters that must be defined for the order and the most common values for those parameters. To facilitate quick order entry, the entire order entry process can be conducted with the mouse or another pointing device, by selecting the order via a check box and specifying all parameters by clicking buttons and selection lists.

The list of orders, order parameters, and default values can be configured by the users of the enterprise employing apparatus and methods according to preferred embodiments of the invention, in order to reduce the time spent searching for options that are routinely used. Orders can also be grouped and order parameters can be populated by default information on the basis of user preference and history of care for the patient. For example, a user may create order sets containing the orders commonly placed when admitting a patient with a respiratory condition. Alternatively, if a patient has been diagnosed with a specific condition in the past, a system defined order set may appear for the user containing defaults recommended for a patient with the condition.

Order parameters include priority, frequency, dose, route, interval, start and end dates, and count, but they can be extended to include other parameters users want to define for orders. In addition, each order can be configured to contain “condition” buttons, accommodating highly complex order parameters, such as one frequency for an order lasting a specified interval, followed by a different frequency, which lasts for a successive interval. Other condition options can allow users to specify a sequence of orders or to alternate between two orders for specified intervals. As with the order parameters, the condition options are extendible to meet user needs.

As the user selects options for order parameters, the parameter values currently selected appear in a dynamically generated summary sentence at the top of the order editing box. The summary sentence serves several purposes. It clarifies the selections the user has made and shows how the order parameters will appear to the staff member who receives the order. The summary sentence also helps the user keep track of the often complex succession of intervals or conditions selected for the order, in order to reduce the potential for medical error and ensure that the order is properly specified and communicated.

In addition, a variety of decision support alerts can be associated with orders, warning users of factors in patient care that may affect the decision to place the order, such as duplicate orders for the patient or dangerous medication interactions. These decision support options can be configured to locate any important information stored in the enterprise's database repository and present it to the user when the order is selected. Thus, decision support for orders is highly configurable and can provide the user with reports containing procedure instructions, previous order values recorded for the patient, access to clinical reference and enterprise-defined procedure instructions and guidelines for the order, or any other stored information the enterprise wants to present to a user selecting the order.

The user can select as many orders as desired for the patient in one session of use from the single “Order Composer” Window provided. All editing of order parameters can be performed within an expanded order editing box, which appears for each selected order. Only one order editing box is expanded at a time, and when the user clicks another order, the current order's box collapses, saving all the current values and displaying them beside the order in the form of the summary sentence. The user can return to edit any order at any time until the orders for the session are filed. When the desired orders and parameters have been selected, all the order information assembled can be filed simultaneously with a single button click into the database and undergo order transmittal processing. This order transmittal processing can be configured to send order information in a variety of formats to a variety of destinations, including interfaces, faxes, printers, and a comprehensive messaging system that links staff mail boxes, staff worklists, networked terminals, and enterprise mail box pools.

The invention may be implemented as part of an enterprise-wide integrated electronic medical records (EMR) system that is designed to serve large-scale health care enterprises. Therefore, the invention has practical use with the extensive data repositories, network of workstation terminals, and numerous concurrent users employed by such large enterprises.

FIG. 1 represents an overview of the dynamic interaction between the structures of the invention's database repository and the features these structures support in the enterprise medical record (EMR)system100 including an EMRgraphical user interface110. The EMR System100 may be implemented using a suitable computing platform including processing, memory and input/output capability. The EMRsystem100 may be a standalone system, may be implemented as part of a larger enterprise healthcare information management system, or as part of a network of devices providing information management services to the healthcare enterprise. The EMR System100 may include two elements of anorder composer apparatus102 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. These two elements are theorder display engine112 and theorder parameter manager114. Theorder display engine112 and theorder parameter manager114 bring together and communicate information stored in various records of the data repository118 that are relevant to placing clinical orders. These records include thepatient record120, thedecision support settings122, theuser security record124, the ordertransmittal instructions126, the order parameters anddefault values128, the user profile andpreference lists130, and theorder record132. Theorder display engine112 and theorder parameter manager114 present and update the correct information to appear when a specific user employs the EMRgraphical user interface110. Theorder display engine112 determines the orders that are listed for each order type based on the user profile and preference lists. It also finds the order parameters to include for each listed order and any default values. Decision support for the listed orders, such as alerts or procedure instructions are also loaded, along with the order transmittal procedures for the session of use. Theorder display engine112 also consults theuser security record124 to determine whether the user can file orders or if a cosign or authorization is needed. Theorder parameter manager114stores parameters146 as the user enters them prior to the filing of orders. Theseparameters146 are used to dynamically create thesummary sentence148 for the order.

The EMRgraphical user interface110 presents the user with theorder entry activity134, which is one activity within thelarger EMR system110. The EMRgraphical user interface110 is generated by theorder display engine112, and is displayed to the user via a suitable display device or devices (not shown). Theorder entry activity134 contains: anactivity list bar145 listing possible activities that may be undertaken in connection with the current patient, apatient information header147 that displays identifying and other patient related information about the current patient and an ordertype navigation bar136, displaying the list of various order types138. When the user clicks anorder type138, the list oforders140 belonging to thatorder type138 is displayed in theorder composer window142. When a user clicks an order from thelist140, a sentence statement of the order appears. The user then clicks on the sentence to open an expandedorder editing box144 in theorder composer window142, allowing the user to define allorder parameters146 necessary for the order, as defined by the enterprise employing the invention. The user selects an order from a user-specific list causing the order sentence to appear. By clicking on the sentence, the user then causes the expandedorder editing box144 to appear.Decision support information122, such as procedure instructions, order alternatives, and formulary options alert the user to import information when the order is selected. When the user has selected all desired orders and parameters, a single button click files the order information assembled in theorder composer window142. Theorder parameters146 the user selects for the order appear in the dynamically generatedsummary sentence148 at the top of theorder editing box144. All selected orders can be filed simultaneously by clicking the file orders button (not depicted) in the order entry activity toolbar150.

FIG. 2 depicts anorder entry workflow200 in which a user logs into theEMR system100 supporting theorder composer102, selects three orders of different order types and files them simultaneously. From thestart202, to open theorder composer102, the user must enter a valid login andpassword204, and at206, theEMR system100 determines the authorized activities for the user and displays options in the activity tool bar150. TheEMR system100 must also recognize the user as authorized to placeelectronic orders208 and210. Once the user opens212 theorder entry activity134, theorder entry activity134displays214 theavailable order types138 to the user in the ordertype navigation bar136. Order types can follow clinical categories, but they can also represent order sets based on user preference or enterprise guidelines. As illustrated inFIG. 2, the user proceeds216 to select Order Type A from the ordertype navigation bar136. Theuser profile engine130 then determines218 what orders of Type A appear for the current user. When the user selects220 the desired order from the Type A list and clicks on the displayed order sentence, two things happen. First, any decision support alerts122 relevant to the order or its interaction with patient data are triggered and presented220 to the user. Second, the expandedorder editing box144 appears224 in the same window in which the order list was displayed, and decision support alerts may also appear in the expandedorder editing box144. Here, the user edits allparameters146 for the order. The user repeats for Order Type B (228-238) and Order Type C (240-250) the process of selecting an order type and selecting and editing an order. There could be as many more order types to choose from as the enterprise provides and the user creates. Enterprises can add new order types containing any set of orders at any time, and users can define order types that appear only when they use theorder entry activity134. After selecting all desired orders, the user clicks252 the file orders button and simultaneously files all selected orders, sending them through enterprise-defined order transmittal processes254.

FIG. 3 shows theprocess300 of editing226 a sample Vitals order, which in this scenario was listed in Order Type A selected atstep224 of FIG.2. Theparameters146 the user sets for the Vitals order arepriority302,interval304, and count306. For each parameter, the user can click a pre-defined button, e.g.,308-312 for priority,318-324 for interval and330-334 for count, to select a common value for the parameter. In the example illustrated inFIG. 3, the user selects314,326 and336, respectively aHigh priority308, aQ4 interval318, and a count of 4330. When appropriate, the user can also choose from the more extensive selection list options provided for the interval and count parameters, e.g.,buttons324 and334. Each time the user sets a value for aparameter146, the value appears,316,328 and338, in text form as part of thesummary sentence148 at the top of theorder editing box144. The user can change the value selected for aparameter146 as many times as desired. When the user is done editing the order, the user clicks340 on the next order to be edited, causing the Vitals order's editing box to collapse342 and the next order sentence to appear. Clicking on the order sentence causes the editing box for the next order to expand. The parameter values set for the Vitals order appear in the form of thesummary sentence148 next to the order where it appears in the list of Type A orders.

FIG. 4 shows theprocess400 of editing238 a sample Medication order, which in this scenario was listed inOrder Type B236. Theparameters146 the user sets aredose402,route404, andfrequency406. For eachparameter146, the user can click a pre-defined button, e.g.,408-412 for dose,418-424 for route and430-436 for frequency, to select a common value. In the example illustrated inFIG. 4, the user selects414,426 and438, respectively 500 mg for thedose408, a route ofIV424, and a frequency of BID (meaning twice per day)432. The user can also choose from the more extensive selection list options, e.g.,buttons412 and436, provided for the dose and frequency parameters. Each time the user sets a value for aparameter146, the value appears,416,428 and440, in text form as part of thesummary sentence148 at the top of theorder editing box144. The user can change the value selected for a parameter as many times as desired. When the user is done editing the order, the user clicks442 on the next order to be edited, causing the Medication order's editing box to collapse444 and the order sentence for the next order to appear. Clicking on the order sentence causes the editing box for the next order to expand. The parameter values set for the Medication order appear in the form of thesummary sentence148 next to the order where it appears in the list of Type B orders.

FIG. 5 shows aprocess500 for editing238 another sample Medication order from Order Type B, immediately after editing the Medication order in FIG.4. Theparameters146 the user sets aredose502 andcondition504. For eachparameter146, the user can click a pre-defined button, e.g.,506-512 for dose and518-522 for condition, to select a common value. In the example illustrated inFIG. 5, the user selects514 and524, respectively 250 mg for thedose506 and an Ifcondition518. The user can also select an option from the more extensiveselection list options512 provided for the dose parameter. When the user selects524,528 or532 acondition504, the user can choose from an additional selection list ofpre-defined text options526,530 and534, respectively in order to complete a sentence explaining the circumstances under which the order should be administered or discontinued. Thiscondition504 appears536 along with theother parameter values516 set for the order in thesummary sentence148 at the top of theorder editing box144. For example, if the user clicks the Ifcondition518 and chooses patient experiences headache from the selection list526, thesummary sentence148 would read If patient experiences headache, 500 mg Medication. The user can change the value selected for aparameter146 as many times as desired. When the user is done editing the order, the user clicks538 on the next order to be edited, causing the Medication order's editing box to collapse540 and the order sentence for the next order to appear. Clicking on the order sentence causes the editing box for the next order to expand. The parameter values set for the Medication order appear in the form of thesummary sentence148 next to the order where it appears in the list of Type B orders.

FIG. 6 shows theprocess600 of editing a sample X-Ray order, which in this scenario was listed in Order Type C. Theparameters146 the user sets are when602 andcondition604. For each parameter, the user can click a pre-defined button, e.g.,606-610 for when and616-618 for condition. In the example illustrated inFIG. 6, the user selects612 and620, respectively Today AM for when606 and aBefore condition616. The user can also choose from the more extensiveselection list options610 provided for the when parameter. Once the user selects acondition604, the user can choose622 and626 from an additional selection list of pre-defined text options in order to complete asummary sentence148 explaining the sequence in which orders should be administered. Thiscondition604 appears614 and628 along with the other parameter values set for the order in thesummary sentence148 at the top of theorder editing box144. For example, if the user clicks the Before condition button and chooses other orders from the selection list, the summary sentence would read X-Ray before other orders. The user can change the value selected for aparameter146 as many times as desired. When the user is done editing the order, the user can click630 on the next order to be edited, causing the X-Ray order's editing box to collapse632 and the next order sentence to appear. Clicking on the order sentence causes the editing box for the next order to expand. The parameter values set for the X-Ray order appear in the form of the summary sentence (not depicted) next to the order where it appears in the list of Type C orders.

FIG. 7 exhibits the variety of decision support alerts222,234 and246 that may be triggered when a user selects an order to edit. The decision support alerts may be displayed directly within the order editing box, or the decision support alerts may be displayed at an appropriate location with the EMRgraphic user interface110. Any, all, or none of the alerts shown may appear when a user selects the order, depending on how the enterprise employing the invention has configured thedecision support settings122 and theorder record132. Alerts warnings state to the user the type of alert that has been triggered702-714 and provide access716-726 to a report or other enterprise-defined information detailing the reason for the alert and/or suggesting alternative orders. There are six alerts depicted as primary examples:

• procedure instructions provide a link to special instructions the enterprise wants a user placing the order to see,702.
• medication interactions alert the ordering user that the medication order selected may interact dangerously with another medication ordered for the patient or with one of the patient's recorded allergies,704.
• The previous questions warning presents a report to the user displaying previous results the patient has received for the same order,708.
• The duplicate check warns the user if the same order has been placed for the patient within a facility-defined time interval, e.g. 24 hours, indicating that it may be a duplication of the same order,710.
• The required orders alert informs the user that there are questions that must be answered about the order before it can be placed. The user can click a button to view and edit the questions,712.
• The clinical reference and guidelines alert the user that the order may be part of an enterprise protocol that provides specific instructions on a treatment program or that the order is counter-indicated by enterprise protocols. The user can view the guidelines or reference in order to decide whether the order should be placed,714.
  These decision support options can be configured to locate any important information the enterprise employing the invention has stored in its database repository and present it to the user when the order is selected. The user may determine whether the order is to be placed728, and if so continue editing the selectedorder730 or if not select adifferent order732.

The invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments. It will be appreciated that the invention may otherwise be embodied without departing from the fair scope of the invention defined by the following claims.

Claims (28)

We claim:

1. A graphical user interface for use on a client computer coupled to an enterprise electronic medical records system for accepting order data, the graphical user interface comprising:

an order type navigation bar, wherein order types are selectable from the order type navigation bar;

an order entry window, linked to the order type navigation bar, the order entry window responsive to a selected order type to display an order list of the selected order type;

an expandable order editing box linked to the order entry window and responsive to selection of an order from the order list to provide an order data editing box and an order data summary, the order data summary responsive to the selected order from the order list.

2. The graphical user interface ofclaim 1, wherein the order data editing box includes a plurality of potential order parameters associated with the selected order, the plurality of potential order parameters being point-and-click selectable from the graphical user interface.

3. The graphical user interface ofclaim 2, wherein the plurality of potential order parameters is configurable by a user of the system.

4. The graphical user interface ofclaim 1, wherein the order data comprises order condition data.

5. The graphical user interface ofclaim 4, wherein the order condition data indicates circumstances related to the selected order, the circumstances including at least one of the group of circumstances comprising: when the order is to be administered, when the order is to be discontinued and the sequence of the order in relation to other orders.

6. The graphical user interface ofclaim 1, wherein the order data summary is a dynamic representation of the order data.

7. The graphical user interface ofclaim 6, wherein the dynamic representation is a text statement of the order data incorporating order parameters associated with the selected order.

8. The graphical user interface ofclaim 1, wherein the order type navigation bar is configurable by a user of the system.

9. The graphical user interface ofclaim 1, wherein the order list is configurable by a user of the system.

10. The graphical user interface ofclaim 1, wherein the order data comprises additional data selected from the group of additional data comprising: referral information, scheduling instructions, lab information, standing order specifications, future order specifications, admissions information, transfer/discharge information, order specifications and user-definable order specific questions.

11. The graphical user interface ofclaim 10, wherein the additional data is selectable from within the order data editing box.

12. The graphical user interface ofclaim 1, further comprising an alert indication.

13. The graphical user interface ofclaim 12, wherein the alert indication comprises one of the group of indications comprising: an order selection aid indication; an order specific indication; an order specific counter-indication; a query indication; a guidelines indication; a last time the order was placed indication; a last/recent lab result indication; and a current in-progress status of at least one other order.

14. A graphical user interface for use on a client computer coupled to an enterprise electronic medical records system comprising:

means for selecting multiple clinical orders having order parameters within a single window display of the multiple clinical orders; and

means for indicating die order parameters for a selected clinical order from within the single window display;

wherein the single window display comprises an order editing box and an order data summary, the order editing box and the order data summary responsive to the selected clinical order.

15. The graphical user interface ofclaim 14, wherein the means for selecting and the means for indicating comprise a point-and-click selectable selection list.

16. The graphical user interface ofclaim 14, wherein the means for indicating comprises selection lists, the selection lists including at least the following selection options:

circumstances under which the patient should receive the selected clinical order,

circumstances under which the selected clinical order should be discontinued and a sequence of the selected clinical order in relation to other selected clinical orders.

17. The graphical user interface ofclaim 14, further comprising:

means for dynamically constructing an order summary during the selecting of the order parameters, wherein the order summary clearly displays for a user the order parameters selected.

18. The graphical user interface ofclaim 14, further comprising:

means for creating an order list, means for adding an order to an existing order list, and

means for saving default values for specified order lists while in the process of placing orders.

19. The graphical user interface ofclaim 14, further comprising:

means for viewing and editing additional information for a specified order, wherein the additional information comprises one of: referral information, scheduling instructions, lab information, standing order specifications, future order specifications, admissions information, transfer/discharge information, order specifications and user-definable order specific questions.

20. The graphical user interface ofclaim 14, further comprising:

means for transmitting the multiple clinical orders within the electronic medical records system.

21. A system for providing users with decision support tools and features triggered by an order entry activity within a graphical user interface, the system being adapted to operate in conjunction with an integrated medical record system, the system comprising:

flexible lists of orders, order parameters, and default parameter values for each user, wherein the flexible list is created from an enterprise configuration of order records, user profiles and patient data stored in the integrated medical record system;

an alert associated with data stored in the integrated medical record system to aid a user in an order selection process;

an alert associated with patient record data to indicate a specified order is specifically indicated or counter-indicated for a patient's condition;

an alert associated with a query to be answered each time a specified order is placed, the alert including the required query; and

a guideline list associated with guidelines retained within the integrated medical records system to help users select orders and order parameters consistent with recommended care protocols.

22. A method of entering order information in an acute care setting, the method comprising the steps of:

providing within a graphical user interface a listing of multiple clinical orders, each of the multiple clinical orders having associated therewith order parameters;

accepting an input from a user indicating a selected clinical order from the listing of multiple clinical orders;

displaying the order parameters associated with the selected clinical order within a display window of the graphical user interface;

wherein the display window comprises an order editing box and an order data summary, the order editing box and the order data summary responsive to the selected clinical order.

23. The method ofclaim 22, further comprising providing selectable condition data associated with the selected clinical order.

24. The method ofclaim 22, further comprising dynamically displaying an order data summary within a display window of the graphic user interface.

25. The method ofclaim 22, wherein the step of providing within a graphical user interface a listing of multiple clinical orders comprises generating a order type navigation bar.

26. The method ofclaim 25, wherein the order type navigation bar is user configurable.

27. The method ofclaim 22, further comprising providing an alert indication.

28. The method ofclaim 27, wherein the alert indication comprises one of the group of indications comprising: an order selection aid indication; an order specific indication; an order specific counter-indication; a query indication and a guidelines indication.

Images